O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
(O my soul), thou hast said unto the Lord - (Lamentations 3:24-25.) The Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac read, 'I have said' х 'aamartiy (H559), instead of 'aamart (H559)]. The Hebrew feminine second person singular verb can only be explained by understanding "O my soul." The omission accords with the enigmatical style of the psalm. The address is thus vividly dramatic. The phrase, "my soul," accords with David's phraseology, 1 Samuel 24:11. Compare 2 Samuel 13:39. Having solemnly declared, "In thee do I put my trust," David, in converse with his soul, raises it to the settled feeling that it cannot despair without seeing into flagrant opposition to itself (Hengstenberg).
My goodness extendeth not to thee. So the Septuagint: [toon agathoon mou ou chreian echeis] and Vulgate; literally, '(is) not UPON (i:e., is no addition to) thee' х `aalekaa (H5921)]. It confers nothing upon thee, for thou needest it not. Thy goodness alone is the foundation of my hope; not any merit of mine. Though God wants nothing from His creatures, yet of His own accord He communicates His goodness to them. Compare Job 35:7; Psalms 16:5-6; Psalms 16:8; Luke 17:10. (Rivetus.) Hengstenberg explains it, 'my good (i:e., the good which I receive, Psalms 106:5); my salvation, in contrast to the sorrows of those that hasten that hasten after another god (Psalms 16:4; not the good which I do) is not beside (independent of) thee'-solely depends on thee (Psalms 16:3), in common with all the saints. "Thou art my Lord" is the soul's response to Exodus 20:2, "I am the Lord thy God." 'My good (i:e., salvation, inheritance, Psalms 16:5-6) is not beside thee' is the soul's response to Exodus 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (literally, in addition to my presence х `al (H5921) paanaaya (H6440)]. My presence is used for me, implying God's ubiquity by His omnipresence; so that wherever an idol beside God-Yahweh is set up, it is in His presence). I prefer the English version. The reference to Exodus 20:1-26 still remains. For in disclaiming a goodness independent of, or adding anything to God, the Psalmist virtually recognizes God as the sole source of goodness, and rejects other gods (Psalms 115:1). The antithesis to "their sorrows," in Psalms 16:4, is "mine inheritance," Psalms 16:5, not 'my good,' Psalms 16:2.